A holistic approach to health has become vastly popular in recent years. As more and more patients get fed up with emergency rooms, doctors, and hospitals in general, they look for alternative forms of medicine. Holistic medicine has been around for thousands of years, and definitely has its merits
It is not only meant for unknown tribes from distant lands, we can all gain benefits by understanding and utilizing this approach to healing. Here are no- and low-cost holistic health tips to improve your health:
1. Improve Your Posture. It is important to keep your spine as straight as possible, this way your muscles will not strain unnecessarily.
This also serves to improve the energy circulating through the body by keeping the nerves straight and unhindered.
2. Avoid Television. Television can actually invoke negative feelings in most viewers. This is due to the violent, sexual and gossipy nature of the programming.
TRY THIS: Give up television viewing for one full week and replace that time with other activities (walking, playing games with your family, etc.). You will discover you are better rested, less stressed out, and happier in general.
3. Improve Your Sleeping Habits. Your body needs time to unwind and relax so that you can feel refreshed. If you still feel tired after a night’s sleep, or even during the day, chances are you are not getting sufficient sleep.
Science has proven that the average human being needs at least 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep each night. Try setting aside these 8 hours each night for a few weeks. Do your best to avoid stress and exertion within an hour of bedtime.
You will definitely notice an improvement in your overall health and your productivity throughout the day.
4. Deep Breathing Exercises. Under stressful circumstances, people tend to breathe more rapidly and in shallow breaths. This is a VERY unhealthy pattern as your bloodstream and body tissues rely heavily on oxygen exchange to perform efficiently.
Try focused breathing for a few minutes each day. Start by inhaling completely, then slowly exhaling completely. You will find that you actually feel better during this daily exercise. Also, you will discover that you are paying closer attention to your breathing throughout the day.
5. Try Being Nicer. Positive energy is very contagious. If you are nice to others, they will be nice to you. Have you ever held a door open for someone? How about smiling at a stranger at the mall? You most likely found they responded favorably, and that is what this section is about.
Doing these little good deeds will have you feeling much better about yourself in the long run.
6. Avoid Clutter. This is an energy deflator. Take time to eliminate clutter a little bit at a time (becoming overwhelmed defeats the purpose of this exercise). Once your space is uncluttered, you will feel positive energy flowing again!
7. Follow Your Dreams. What you dream about can reveal quite a bit to you. Some therapists believe that our dreams help us become aware of struggles, fears, and anxieties. Try keeping a journal of the major themes of your dreams.
Record these as soon as you can upon waking. Look for patterns or recurring themes. Take time to look these up in a dream dictionary. Meditate on the information you uncover to see if their meaning is representative of your struggles. Becoming more aware of these internal conflicts can give you an excellent place to start working them out.
8. Examine Your Colors. Color is directly associated with your emotions and your body’s energy. Be mindful of the colors that surround you during various emotional points in your day. Red is very stimulating, which is OK when you are looking for an energy boost, but not so good during attempted rest periods.
Try changing colors in your wardrobe or workspace to better suit your emotional needs. Green is an esteem booster, purple is associated with healing, etc…experiment!!
9. Listen to More Music. There are many benefits to music/sound therapy, the biggest is a sense of overall well-being. TRY THIS: Find some soft music that you enjoy, go into a quiet room, and play it on a very low volume setting.
If you are quiet and relaxed. you will be able to hear the music as if it were at full volume.
10. Try Aromatherapy. Aromatherapy has been a very popular holistic health topic for a long time. Many people will swear to you the benefits they have received from such therapies. The aroma of rosemary oil calming headaches, and lavender oil adds to a relaxing sleep.
There are many wonderful books and experts out there to help you get started.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Jeff Murad
